1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing system to process image data in a virtual space, a printer, an image recording system, and an image recording method.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Actual scenery or portrait photo prints obtained from developing and printing images shot by conventional cameras have been widely used. However, recently digital cameras enable us to record and store scenery or portraits as image data, which can be printed by a printer afterward. Since video cameras and digital video cameras to shoot moving pictures have also been widely available, we can enjoy replaying moving pictures on monitor screens.
Quite recently, virtual reality systems where we can see scenery or experience various kinds of actions or behaviors in virtual spaces are introduced in research domains and amusement parks. However, until now, images in the virtual space can not be outputted by the above-mentioned actual cameras, digital cameras, video cameras and digital video cameras (these are defined as “image acquiring devices”) because the image acquiring devices such as cameras, video cameras, etc., are means or systems to acquire optically inputted spatial information.
There are other means to acquire information in the virtual space as outputted data. Since images in the virtual space are originally accumulated as digital data and displayed on a monitor screen in a computer system and the like, it is possible to process or modify displayed information by utilizing a mouse and a pen-tablet.
However, before selecting a necessary area out of displayed image on the screen, icons, and tool bars, etc., have to be placed (displayed) in the computer screen for carrying out the following procedures: (a) Adjusting displayed portion on the screen, (b) Re-displaying enlarged- or reduced-sized image, and (c) Selecting a portion of displayed area. Due to these procedures, available space for display, namely the effective display area is decreased, or portions to be displayed are displayed implicitly under icons or tool bars, which results in poor maneuverability.
Keyboard operations to select a portion of the displayed screen are also troublesome, since several relevant keys allocated respective functions should be pressed according to a predetermined order.
Particularly in a 3-dimensional image display, the following complicated procedures are required.
(1) Since operations based on numerical coordinate data are required, they are far from intuitive ones.
(2) Since six parameters on position and rotated direction in 3-dimensional space are allocated to indicate 2-dimensional moving distance in a 2-dimensional plane by the mouse, more complicated operations are required.
Operations by the mouse or by the pen tablet fundamentally do not satisfy desires to experience virtual activities such as shooting scenery by the camera and the video camera.
The present invention is carried out in view of the above-mentioned problems. The objectives of the present invention are as follows.
(1) To provide a data processing system to select or enlarge target areas from image data in the virtual space.
(2) To provide a printer, an image recording system, and an image recording method to select or enlarge target areas and to set printing parameters on paper without any difficulties.
(3) Further to provide a system that realizes virtual experiences as if a person actually performs image-acquiring activities by using the camera and the video camera in the virtual space.